Development/Fundraising Manager, Children’s Community School

The Children’s Community School is seeking a Development Manager to coordinate and lead fundraising efforts in the 2017-18 school year in collaboration with the school administration.

CCS is a private, non-profit preschool in West Philadelphia, serving nearly a hundred children and families. Our mission is to create a learning community that honors and empowers children to engage their whole selves in education. We work to create rich, inclusive communities in our classrooms, our school, and our neighborhood, nurturing children, supporting families, empowering staff, and growing local connections. Through curriculum focusing on mindfulness, inquiry, and social justice, and help children become active members of their communities. More information about our school at http://childrenscommunityschool.org.

The Development Manager will lead efforts to raise $30,000 over the course of the school year to support financial aid and staff retention goals. Fundraising efforts will likely focus on cultivating individual donors and donations from small local foundations, but could also include searching for and writing grants or planning fundraising events. We are not necessarily looking for someone with rich fundraising knowledge and experience (though that would be nice), so much as someone able and excited to learn and to develop their abilities along with our program over time. If all goes well in the first year, we intend to significantly increase the Development Manager’s salary, hours, and fundraising goals in subsequent years.

REQUIRED CRITERIA–We will only consider candidates who meet all of the following criteria.
• Ability to clearly and persuasively communicate about our school’s program and its value to the community, both verbally and in writing
• Excellent “people skills”; ability to cultivate relationships with individuals; ability to build and tap into social networks
• Ability to confidently discuss money (personal finances, budgeting, etc.), both with strangers and with people you have personal relationships with
• Ability to work collaboratively with school administrators and teachers
• Ability to plan, organize, manage, and communicate about long-term projects

DESIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE–The ideal candidate will possess many of the following qualities.
• Experience raising money, especially for nonprofits
• Experience in early childhood education and/or progressive education
• Experience in communications or public relationships
• Experience in community organizing
• Experience researching and writing grants
• Experience planning large events (e.g., fundraisers, weddings, etc.)
• Ability to interpret, track, and administer budgets, especially to propose or report on projects
• Strong research skills, especially skills in searching for and evaluating information online
• Strong existing relationships with CCS families, CCS alumni families, local businesses, and/or our local community
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice
• Demonstrated growth mindset and eagerness to learn and develop new knowledge and skills
• Comfort using Google Docs, or other online tools for collaborative work
• Potential to grow the position over several years

TO APPLY, please email your résumé and cover letter to jarrod@childrenscommunityschool.org. Your cover letter should be between half a page and a page, single spaced, and include
• what experience you have that prepares you for this position
• something specific from this ad or our website that makes you think you would be a good fit for our school.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The Children’s Community School is an equal opportunity employer. Hiring decisions shall be made without regard to race, color, religious creed, disability, ancestry, national origin (including limited English proficiency), age, or sex. Additionally, our policies, procedures, and practices are designed to prohibit discrimination on the basis of family structure, sex, gender, or sexuality. We strive to create a just and diverse school community. We encourage people of color, men, and LGBTQ people to apply. See http://childrenscommunityschool.org/justice for more information.